My classroom experience includes Spanish as a Second Language, AP Spanish Language and Literature, Spanish for Heritage/Native Speakers, ESL, and French at the secondary level in New Jersey and Arizona as well as teacher education in Continuing Education, Master, and Post-Baccalaureate programs. Currently, I am a Professor of Spanish Language and Culture at the Virginia Military Institute where I teach all levels of Spanish and cultural studies.I spent my childhood in Frankfurt (Germany) and the greater metropolitan New York area. At six years of age, I spoke German fluently but forgot it quickly when we returned to the States to live. My classmates laughed at me because I couldn't pronounce "st" like they did, and I didn't want to be different. It's a frightening feeling to be seven years old and feel strange in a place your parents are calling "back home."I founded Authentic Language remembering that feeling when I realized how ill prepared teachers, schools, and districts in Virginia are to successfully accomodate the influx of non-English students to the Shenandoah Valley. The growth of the new minority populations has brought richer diversity to our schools and afforded our children opportunities for new intercultural experiences.In these times of dwindling budgets, however, districts are too often unable to meet the language needs of these new students. Funding for additional staff and/or ESL training for in-service teachers is not readily affordable; hence, many school districts in Virginia remain non-compliant with federally mandated Title requirements (DOE Title I: Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged).